


A False Impression

by LoveEvangeline



Category: The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Child Abuse, Gen, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2015-07-15
Packaged: 2018-04-09 10:57:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4345883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveEvangeline/pseuds/LoveEvangeline
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I'm fulfilling ShadowSpark's headcanon for lilsmartass's amazing fic "Iron Man Yes, Tony Stark...Not Recommended". Steve thinks he's knows all he needs to about Tony, but he witnesses a side of him that surprises him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A False Impression

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lilsmartass](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilsmartass/gifts), [ShadowSpark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowSpark/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Misconceptions](https://archiveofourown.org/works/649891) by [cauldronofdoom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cauldronofdoom/pseuds/cauldronofdoom), [lilsmartass](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilsmartass/pseuds/lilsmartass). 



> I hope this is all you wanted it to be, and that it fits okay in the IMY canon.

_It could’ve been worse_ , was what Steve kept repeating to himself, as they cleared the huge school of rubble, and searched for survivors. Stark had managed to divert most of the blast, but Steve couldn’t help snapping at him every time they crossed paths. He knew that as the team leader he should be more understanding, but it was hard to be understanding when it had still levelled an entire school, the children still inside.

He knew, logically, that some villain putting a bomb on the school wasn’t Stark’s fault, but he couldn’t help remembering the witty banter he had to endure on their way to the scene—those seconds could’ve saved lives.

He grunted as he lifted a beam from in front of a bathroom before peaking inside. Sure enough, there was a small cluster of kids huddled by the sinks, their teacher standing in front of them protectively. The kids couldn’t be older than seven, and they all looked terrified, and most had obviously been crying.

“Ma’am? It’s okay, I’m here to get you out.”

“Oh thank god—” He didn’t have time for this, he had to clear this floor and go help upstairs.

“Ma’am, is anyone hurt?”

“Oh, no, but they’re real shaken up, and I can’t get Tommy out of one of the stalls, he’s terrified.”

He smiled at her sympathetically. “I’ll see what I can do,” he told her. After all, kids loved Captain America, it wouldn’t be too hard.

He pressed the button on his com, “Banner? I’ve got twelve more on the 2nd floor, bathroom down the left hallway. Send a cart up. One of the kids is hiding out in a stall, I’m going to try and talk him into leaving.”

The Hulk wasn’t good for this situation, but Bruce was exactly who they needed. His calm, his skills as a doctor, and the fact that he was good with kids meant that he was the guy on the outside, helping everyone get to safety, and making sure everyone was okay, sending the injured to get treated.

Steve didn’t want to think about the fact that Natasha was dealing with the dead.

An EMT arrived with a StarkCart, a flying vessel that would keep their weight from bearing down on the unstable floor. After they all climbed in, he had a moment’s hesitation before he sent them away without the boy that was refusing to come out of the bathroom. He figured that maybe the kid was embarrassed for being so scared, and being away from his peers might help.

He knocked on the closed stall. “Tommy? It’s alright, you can come out now, son.”

It was silent for a moment, then there was a sniffle and a rustle of cloth, but the door stayed shut tight.

He raised his voice a bit. “Tommy, this building isn’t safe, it could cave in. I need you to open the door so you don’t get hurt and you can go home to your parents. They’re probably already here, and I know they must be very worried for you.”

A sobbing gulp, and more sniffles was all he got in response.

“Tommy, do you know who I am?”

“I’m Captain America, the real one. You’re gonna be okay, kid. Just open the door for me.”

The crying got a little louder.

“C’mon kid, please? I don’t want to have to come in after you, but I will. It’s not safe for you to be here.”

The crying only got louder, and he was about to follow through when his com crackled in his ear, and he heard Stark’s voice.

“Rogers? Where the hell are you? I need you on 3rd, there’s a kid trapped in a tight crack and the suit’s too bulky to reach in and grab her.”

He sighed. “There’s a kid that won’t come out of the bathroom down on 2nd, he’s terrified. I’ll send Hawkeye over to you.”

“Do you need help with the kid?”

“No, I’m just gonna break open the door and carry him out. Talking is getting me nowhere.”

“Don’t. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Steve huffed in annoyance. That was just like Stark, thinking the kid would suddenly cooperate just because Stark said so.

Tony touched down outside of the bathroom and retracted the suit.

“Go on, I got this.”

Steve didn’t believe that for one second, but he turned to go. His hearing could pick up Tony’s weight hitting the floor.

“Hey kid, so I hear you’re not too impressed with Captain America. What does impress you then? Because Cap is totally cool, you know. He’s all patriotic and sh…stuff.” Steve paused to listen. _He’s probably just flattering me because he knows I can hear him_ , he thought. Anger tightened his belly as he remembered that Stark had access to all their personal files, and had _read_ them. He probably knew more about Steve’s anatomy than Steve did.

“What’s your name?” There was silence. “Well my name’s Anthony, Tony for short. It’s not a very cool name, but I’ve made it work for me. Can I tell you a story?”

Steve was gratified that the kid hadn’t responded yet. He leaned on the wall outside the bathroom.

“When I was a kid, about six, my d—someone scared me a lot. I was convinced that I was going to die painfully, and I didn’t want too, because my aunt was coming that weekend and she had promised to bring me some sweets, so you see, I couldn’t die yet. So I hid in a closet in the basement, for hours and hours. I was smart about it, I brought a sandwich and my favorite toy and some apple juice. But I picked a closet in the basement, where no one would think to look for me, and it was so cold and lonely down there. I couldn’t stop crying I was so scared, but there weren’t any tissues. I even peed my pants after a while. But lucky me, my aunt came early, and she found me immediately. She sat outside the door for hours until I calmed down, and then she held me and told me that everything was going to be alright. And she was right, even though things were scary, they were okay in the end because she was there for me and she protected me. So that’s what I’m going to do for you. I’m going to sit here until you feel like coming out, and then you can tell me what’s scaring you and I’ll help. I mean it, I always keep my promises. I cross my heart and all that.”

There was a sniffle, and then the unmistakable sound of a lock sliding open.

“Hey there, come here, it’s okay.” Steve could hear the sound of fabric rustling; he presumed that Tony was holding the kid.

“It’s okay, buddy. It’s gonna be okay. What are you so scared of? You can tell me, I’ll help, okay? I won’t laugh, either.”

The kid started crying harder. “Shhh, shhh, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

“There was supposed to be a lock-in tonight,” the kid hiccupped out in a tiny voice that was hard for Steve to hear from the hallway.

“Okay.”

“I don—I don’t wanna go home, don’t make me go home!”

“Why?”

“They—they’ll be mad I came home.”

“Who, your parents?”

“Yeah.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Cause—cause they’re always mad. Don’t make me go home, please mister Tony?”

“What’s your name?”

“Tommy.”

“Tommy, can you be real honest with me? I need you to answer a very important question, okay? If you give me an honest answer, no matter how scary it is, I’ll be able to help you, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Tommy, do your parents ever hit you? You’re not going to get in any trouble for telling me, I promise.”

There was a long silence. “Sometimes…my dad…but it’s only ‘cause I’m so bad. He says I need to grow up and quit bein’ a baby.”

“Tommy, it is _not_ okay that your dad hits you, no matter what you’ve done, okay? No one deserves that, okay? And I’m not going to let you go back to your parents, I promise.”

“But…but what if he finds me? What if it makes it worse? I don’t want him to be mad—”

“I _promise_ you, Tommy. He’s never going to lay a hand on you again, okay? I’m going to call some people that make sure that kids like you never go through that again, and you’ll be safe away from your parents. I’ll make sure your dad is put away for a long, long time for what he’s done to you.”

“Put away? In jail?”

“Yepp. Behind bars, just so he can’t touch you.”

“But…but dad says that it’s okay. That all parents do it.”

“They don’t. He’s lying. Good parents don’t hit their kids.”

“Really?”

“Really. Now, are you ready to get out of here? I have a super cool suit that I can fly us out with. Your whole class is gonna be really jealous.”

“Is it scary?”

“Maybe a little, but that’s what makes it fun. I think you’ll like it.”

“What if I fall?”

“I won’t let you.”

“…Okay, mister.”

Steve head them stand up and he realized that he had been leaning against the wall eavesdropping for nearly ten minutes when he could’ve been helping people. He scurried away quietly, before Stark could see him.

For the rest of the day the conversation he’d overheard was on his mind, it was the last thing he’d expect from Stark. Of course, he was sure that the story he’d told the kid was all made up, but Stark was real good at being charming.

Still…something about it felt off. He felt like he was missing something big about Stark.

He watched Stark closely during the debrief, but his face didn’t give anything away, and he didn’t say anything about the kid. For some reason, he didn’t want the rest of the team to know, so he didn’t ask.

Still, he checked in with CPS a few days later, to ask about the kid. It would be just like Tony to promise a kid the world and completely forget. But to his surprise, the father had been arrested and they were investigating the mother. The kid was staying with a foster family, and Tony had already been around the visit him. The nice lady offered to let him visit too, but he declined.

He watched Stark carefully for the next week, but all he saw was the same sarcasm, the same immorality, the same disregard for others. But, he supposed, even Tony Stark must have a little bit of a heart. Even if only a sliver.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment or some kudos! I hope you enjoyed it :-)


End file.
